Blind Leading the Blind
by girlofring
Summary: The fellowship way out from Rivendell runs into more blinding trouble.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien.  
  
Blind Leading the Blind Chapter 1  
  
The Fellowship had stopped on the top of the mountain, when if needed could be protected by the sun bleached rock formations from evil eyes. They had walked since early morning and by the sun being directly above them, it was time for the noon meal. Sam had started to unload Bill, while Merry and Pippin searched for some kind of kindling to start a small fire.  
  
Gandalf had walked over to where Frodo had sat down a moment to catch his breath. He had noticed that Frodo was rubbing his left shoulder a bit.  
  
Frodo looked up to the tall figure that had blocked the sunlight from him casting a long shadow. At first he thought it was a Ringwraith returning and he had flinched putting an arm up to shield his face.  
  
"Frodo? Are you alright?" Gandalf had questioned, noticing Frodo flinching but did not dwell on it.  
  
"Oh, Gandalf" he mumbled as he looked back up to the figure casting the shadow. "I'm fine. Just tired. You know, long hike up here."  
  
"Yes," he agreed. Then he knew what answer he was going to get but he had to ask anyways. "How is your shoulder. I noticed you were rubbing it."  
  
Frodo didn't want to bother anyone about his pains, most least of all Aragorn, and if he did, he was sure some kind of concoction would be forced upon him to drink. So he lied. "It's fine. The shoulder strap on my pack was pinching my skin."  
  
"Hmmm." Then Gandalf walked away towards one of the taller rocks, holding his staff for support and lowering his himself to the ground beside Gimli. Then from the top of his staff he pulled out his pipe and lit it.  
  
Legolas, however, was always on lookout. Walking from boulder to boulder, his keen elf senses never resting. His eyes had made a quick sweep of the valley. A sudden clanging of metal caught his attention, and someone counting? It was Boromir teaching Merry and Pippin the art of wielding their swords in combat. " I thought they were gathering wood" he asked himself. He turned to find Sam already cooking. How long was he in thought? He wondered.  
  
"Good, keep going, " encouraged Boromir to Pippin who was his sparring partner at this time. "Move your feet!" Aragorn added. Sam had finished his quick meal of tomatoes, fruit and some meat. He had called out to everyone that it was time to eat. He then proceeded to carry a plate for himself and Frodo. He didn't like how Mr. Frodo was looking since his recovery in Rivendell. Always by some accord and the blessings of Elbereth he would eat something if he was the one offering it to him. He knew they had a long road ahead of them and he wanted Frodo to have the best advantage possible. As he approached where Frodo was sitting, he offered the plate and Frodo took it.  
  
"Thanks, Sam. I was getting hungry," he replied as Frodo reached for the plate.  
  
Now Gimli was wondering why they were taking the long way around and was going to get an answer. "Gandalf, why can't we go through the mines of Moria? It would be shorter and my cousin Balin would give us a warm welcome, " he stated matter of factly.  
  
"No, Gimli, I would not go that route unless I had no other choice," Gandalf replied taking another puff of his pipe.  
  
Out of the corner of Legolas's eye he saw something. Dark? He had jumped down from one boulder and leaped to another with the grace of an Eagle. There it was, in the sky coming in fast.  
  
"What is that?" Sam had asked. "Just a whisp of cloud. Pay it no mind." Gimli answered  
  
Boromir, after being tackled by Merry and Pippin, had just gotten up off his hide and resheathed his sword. "Its coming fast. And against the wind!" he proclaimed.  
  
Just then Legolas had yelled "Crebain from Dunland!"  
  
"Hide!" Aragorn shouted while picking his items off the ground. " Frodo, Sam Take cover, hurry!"  
  
Frodo and Sam scrambled to doush the fire and pick up there belongings as well. Frodo had spotted a boulder with just big enough crevice to crawl into. Aragorn was heading the same way and joined Frodo.  
  
It was too late that Frodo had not seen the snake when he dove into the crevice. He had disturbed the snakes nest and the snake was none too pleased. The black red colored head raised in defense and without warning struck out at Frodo. It was just that quick. The poison had sprayed and landed in Frodo's eyes."AHHHHHHHHH,, gasp, (another scream). "AHHHHHHH"  
  
To Be Continued. Please read and review. 


	2. chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. They belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. Authors note: (tried to look on internet what to do for poison in eyes if out in wild. No info found. Do not claim any medical expertise)  
  
Blind Leading the Blind  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Aragorn had not seen the snake's nest either, so he did not know why Frodo was screaming. Frodo knew as well as he did not to give away their location, so he could not fathom why he was screaming, until he turned his head towards him. Aragorn saw the slender head of the snake poised in strike position. He only had a moment to react. Reaching his left hand down to his boot he retrieved a small dagger and with the reflexes of a hunter, brought the dagger in a striking angle and decapitated the snake, the head being flung to the outskirts of their hiding place. Aragorn scooted along on his stomach towards Frodo , who was still crying out, clapped his hand over the hobbit's mouth to muffle his cry.  
  
The birds were right overhead now. They were taking their time flying over, Aragorn thought to himself. Especially when Frodo was still crying beneath his hand, making Aragorns heart bleed for him. He needed to tend to him quickly. He didn't know were he had been bitten, if he had been bitten. Though he noticed Frodo's attention particularly covering his eyes.  
  
As the flock flew over one of the birds, saw something out of the ordinary in the landscape. It wasn't there a moment ago when it flew over, then it was. Something red. The bird crowed and left the flock with a few of the birds following and making another pass closer to the ground this time. There it was, the red thing, closer, closer..  
  
At that same time Aragorn had noticed some of the birds had broken off from the main flock and came swooping towards them. Frodo still squirming. "Frodo!" he hissed, not meaning to sound stern, but with urgency, "I know it hurts. Keep still. They are coming back!" Aragorn held his breath. "Why are they circling back around?" he questioned to himself. Then he saw the snakes head that had been discarded out of the confines of their hiding place. He shuddered to think what might happen if they were discovered.  
  
The Crebine that had left the flock to check out what had caught his eye, swooped down, closer, closer to the ground. Unbeknownst how close he was to discovering their prey's hiding place. He was just interested in having a morsel of food. He had been flying for a great distance and he wanted a rest. When he thought of what could be there, a small rodent, his hunger had taken over. He could just taste something now. Closer he was coming to his prize. It had a red tint to it. Hmm, maybe a rodent. Closer, unusual body shape? Almost there. A Snake! Then as if had air brakes, flapped its wings in reverse and deterred it decent and climbed back up to the rest of the flock with his buddies following behind. It never did see that the head of the snake was missing the rest of its body.  
  
Aragorn and the rest of the Fellowship had breathed a sigh of relief, except for Frodo, whose muffled cries had become whimpering beneath Aragorns hand. Because of the loud cries of the Crebine and the thousand flapping wings, noone else could hear the terrifying scream from Frodo.  
  
Gandalf had come out of his hiding place as well as everyone else popping up. No heads were ever counted and Gandalf began to tell of their change in plan." The Redhorn Pass is being watched. Spys of Saruman. We will go the route of Caradahas," he stated without any questioning his decision. He would have expected someone to protest, even Aragorn. Where was Aragorn? And looking around, neither laying his eyes on Frodo. "Where is Aragorn and Frodo?" he questioned the rest of the Fellowship.  
  
Sam quickly looked around, and started walking towards the direction he remembered Frodo going to. He heard whimpering. Then as he got closer, "Frodo?" no answer. "Mister Frodo!" he shouted this time.  
  
"Over here, Sam."  
  
It wasn't Frodo's voice, but Aragorn's. His pace quickened taking him around the huge boulder. There he saw Aragorn sort of dragging Frodo from their hiding place in the crevice of the boulder. Frodo was still covering his eyes.  
  
"Sam, I need a water skin and my bag. Please get them for me"  
  
"What happened?" he questioned.  
  
"Sam, I need them! Please go get them!" he commanded, not being so gruff, but he needed to rinse Frodo's eyes out.  
  
Merry and Pippin had followed Sam and had also heard of his request. Since Merry was closest he grabbed Aragorns bag and water skin and brought them to Aragorns side. By that time the rest of the Fellowship had ended up where Aragorn started his ministrations to Master Frodo. "Frodo, did you get bit?"  
  
"My eyes! They hurt!" he blurted out not really hearing Aragorns question.  
  
"Let me see your eyes, Frodo." Aragorn tried to pry away Frodo's hands away with great difficulty. The hobbit was very strong despite his frail appearance at times. He was going to need help.  
  
Gimli came to mind. He was strong. But he needed to calm Frodo down if he was going to attempt anything. Legolas? He had the elven powers to calm. Sam? Well, he was going to be there no matter what he suggested. "Gimli, help me hold his arms down. Legolas, I will need you to calm him." Sam was already at his side, placing a bedroll under Frodo's head.  
  
Gimli bent down and pried Frodos hands from his face and forcibly kept them down by his sides. Frodo's eyes were still shut tight with some tears and a white substance at the corners of his eyes. The fragile skin around the eyes were fiery red, with some blistering Aragorn noted.  
  
"Aragorn?" Legolas questioned. He had never done anything remotely remarkable as Lord Elrond. His great healing powers. So he was wondering what Aragorn was thinking he could do for Frodo.  
  
"You remember. Long ago my friend when I was in pain. How just your simple touch calmed my frazzled nerves as the healer stitched my wounds," Aragorn reminded him. He had forgotten. But he thought it was because they were very close as friends could be and he had trusted him. Not by just a simple touch of an Elven hand. Legolas bent down and placed his hands on Frodos chest noting the rapid and shallow breath with each movement of his chest. He concentrated and soon the rapid respirations were being slowed. The heartbeat slowed. The glow imminating from Legolas transferred to Frodo. Gimli had also noted the relaxation in Frodos arms, and he had stopped kicking his legs. Taking a deep breath in and exhaling out, Legolas easily breaking the bond with Frodo.  
  
Aragorn noting the effect, had his chance to flush the hobbit's eyes out with water. Frodo felt the coolness to his burning eyes and relaxed a little more. Frodo had also felt a familiar hand grab his and he squeezed it in return.  
  
"It will be alright, Mr. Frodo" Sam encouraged as the ministrations continued.  
  
"Frodo, I am going to open your eyes a little to get the water in there,okay?" Aragorn soothingly told him everything that he was going to do. Frodo nodded and he proceeded. Carefully he lifted one eyelid opened. He had already noticed as he lifted an eyelid, that the iris was covered with a thin film of the poison. A little bit of the water was administered to the eye to flush out the rest of the toxin. Then he proceeded to the other eye and did the same. All the while he was wondering to himself why was Frodo so relaxed that he never flinched when the water bottle was tipped to his eye. Legolas had already broken his bond with Frodo. A crease of worry crossed Aragorns brow and only Sam noticed it.  
  
"Open your eyes, Frodo," he commanded.  
  
Frodo did as he asked. He slowly opened his eyes, and seeing nothing but some darkness with an aura of light, he blinked several times to clear his vision. He opened his eyes again and nothing had changed. His grip on Sam became stronger, tensing up again, his breathing becoming rapid again.  
  
"Frodo? Frodo! What's wrong" Aragorn asked, but he knew the answer.  
  
"I...I...c-can't s.see!" he cried.  
  
Legolas laid his hands on Frodo once again to bond.  
  
  
  
To be continued.  
  
Thank you for the encouragement Tiggivon and Phoenixqueen. 


End file.
